Electric Upright Bass Database

Stagg - EDB 3/4 TB

• Vintage: 2009
• Number of Strings: 4
  • Double bass strings compatible
  • Tuned in: 4th
• Bowable: Yes
• Position Markers: Yes
• Balance While Playing: (7/10)
• Transportability: (8/10)
• Overall Rating: (8/10)

This is probably the least expensive EUB on the market - I paid £315 for it. The body is a solid slab of maple, with a thick coating of glossy transparent dark-blue polyester. Two pairs of rubber-lined holes are provided, one to hold a handy brace to rest against your body and one for a small frame to simulate the bass's treble-side shoulder. Both these components are made from steel rod covered in soft plastic.

The bolted-on neck is also maple, this time coated with a matt-black lacquer. This coating also covers the fingerboard, which is part of the neck rather than a separate piece. Tiny white dots are inlaid along the bass edge of the fingerboard, corresponding to the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th fret positions, and are accurately placed. The pegbox is a simple open rectangle with no scroll, and the tuners are modified Fender-style ones, with cylindrical capstans designed to handle double-bass strings.

The height-adjustable wooden bridge and box-shaped tailpiece are also covered in the matt black coating, giving the bass a hi-tech appearance. An adjustable metal end-pin is fitted inside the body and can be retracted for easy transport.

There is a control panel on the treble edge of the body, with volume and "sub-bass" controls, headphone and aux input sockets and a blue LED to indicate that the preamp is running. On the back is a plastic cover for the 9v PP3 battery, and a Stratocaster-style flush jack socket. The preamp is only on when either headphones or the main output are in use.

The 2-element piezo pickup under the feet of the bridge provides more than enough bass, and treble is also available, although tone adjustment at the amp is essential since there is only a bass boost control on the bass itself. The headphone output is a bit hissy, but fortunately the main output is completely quiet. With the "sub-bass" at minimum, the bass can produce a fairly realistic plucked upright bass sound, and turning it up gives a beefier sound, approaching that of a fretless electric, but maintaining an upright tone. The long sustain is the main give-away - if you want a more percussive sound, e.g. for Latin styles, you may want to consider adding a string mute. The bass can be played with a bow, although you may wish to adjust the tone settings for this.